Speak up, or pay the price

Wednesday

Jun 25, 2008 at 11:30 PM

Residents in and around Guyton need to pay attention to what's going on in their backyards before they're left paying through the nose for a wastewater treatment plant they don't need and can't afford.

Over the past six months, city officials have pressed on with plans to build a wastewater treatment plant in an area off Riverside Drive because they think the city of Springfield - which currently treats Guyton's wastewater - and the county aren't willing, can't or, so Guyton says, are too expensive.

That's simply not true.

Springfield officials have told Guyton that they are closing in on capacity at their current facility. But Springfield City Manager Brett Bennett said that didn't mean Guyton had to look elsewhere. In fact, Bennett said, Springfield has been looking at increasing its capacity and is willing to work with Guyton officials on the issue.

Bennett said specifics with Guyton never reached an in-depth point because Guyton officials didn't press the issue.

County officials also are willing to work with Guyton. They drew up a plan to treat Guyton wastewater in July 2007 at a cost of about $8 million - $6 million less than Guyton's plan to build its own plant.

But Guyton evidently balked, with officials worrying "What if the county reaches capacity - then what?"

Guyton has 423 customers that use an average of 83,000 gallons per day. The county has more than enough capacity to treat Guyton's wastewater now and well into the future, county engineer Steve Liotta has said.

The county wastewater treatment plant has a capacity to treat 1 million gallons of wastewater a day, but only use between 60,000 and 80,000 gallons per day.

Springfield, in January, even agreed to bump up the amount of wastewater per day it treats for Guyton to 100,000.

So other - and much cheaper - options are there.

As we reported last week, the fuzzy math Guyton officials are using to base their decision on doesn't add up.

If their estimates hold true, Guyton officials are going to need more than 12,500 new customers - 36,000 new people - in 20 years just to break even on its $14 million loan to build the plant, which all estimates say will end up costing about $40 million in that time frame.

With a population of about 1,800 right now, the plan is premature - and far-fetched. It's simply not cost-effective.

Although Springfield and the county each in their own right would benefit if a plan could be worked out with Guyton, a mutual plan with Guyton isn't necessary for either entity.

If Guyton residents don't start questioning the council on this wastewater plant, the $14 million brunt will rest on their folly.

They've made the plans. They've bought the land. They're ready to build.

It's time for Guyton residents to speak up.

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